With "The Bling Ring" opening next month and "Noah" not hitting theaters until March 2014, it may be awhile until we see Emma Watson in full-on celebrity covergirl mode again—but if she is planning a hiatus from the public eye, this isn't a bad note to go out on! Emma is front and center next month in the very sophisticated W magazine, where she's styled to the max like a noir femme fatale and talking with typical seriousness about her career.

By now, Emma has a well-earned reputation for being thoughtful, down-to-earth and very careful about how much she reveals of her private life. Which, according to her, has pretty much always been the case.

"I was always a very serious child," she said. "I remember being 13 and girls in my class saying, 'So-and-so is going to kiss so-and-so on the school fields.' I said, 'That’s stupid. They’re too young for it to matter—he doesn’t love her, and that’s just a waste of time.' It’s amazing that I had any friends!"

(And not at all amazing that she won the career-making role of the persnickety Hermione Granger. I mean, you guys, it's levi-OH-sa! Not levio-SAH!)

In keeping with her serious approach, Emma has lately been testing her limits as an actor—opting for films like "The Bling Ring" and "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" instead of the buttoned-up British period dramas that some might have expected. Consider her description of her "Bling Ring" character's most important characteristic:

"The iconic detail of Nicki is her tramp stamp. It’s a lotus flower, a Buddhist-like symbol just above her butt crack. Really classy!"

Classy, indeed! But part of the lure of roles like this, she says, is that she has a profound appreciation for the good old U.S.A.

"I’ve always loved America. When we came here with Harry Potter, everyone was so warm," she explained. "Eventually, all of my friends were American, and I think that’s why I was attracted to playing Americans, even extreme ones like Nicki. When I’m presented with a character, I think, Hmmm...I have not had this experience. I don’t really know what this would be like. I’ll have the experience through the character."

Aww. We like you too, Emma!

What do you think of Emma's latest cover story? Tell us in the comments and on Twitter!